Vote shows Ferguson losing United's fans

A poll of Manchester United supporters has revealed that less than half the Old Trafford crowd is convinced Sir Alex Ferguson should remain as manager. Fans were asked whether Ferguson was "the right man to take United forward" and only 49% voted in his favour.

Ferguson has taken United to the Carling Cup final but, with a 14-point deficit to Chelsea, he is confronted by a third successive season without the Premiership title. A December exit from the Champions League has also counted against him, judging by the 35% who voted for him to leave. The remaining 16% ticked the "not sure" category.

Ferguson has always said he is not in management to win popularity contests but it will alarm the 64-year-old that he appears to have lost the confidence of such a sizeable proportion of supporters. A helter-skelter season has been notable for Roy Keane's departure, Ferguson being barracked after a home defeat to Blackburn Rovers in September and the embarrassment of Burton Albion taking them to a replay in the FA Cup, but the United manager received a public vote of confidence last weekend, with the chief executive David Gill saying he would remain as manager "for years to come".

"When you reach 64 the one thing is your health and in that respect I feel great right now," Ferguson, who had a pacemaker fitted two years ago, said yesterday when asked about his future. "When anyone gets to my age the hope is you will be all right the next day. That's the way I look at it anyway."

Ferguson was heavily critical of the FA's decision to charge Gary Neville with improper conduct for his excessive celebrations in front of the Liverpool fans at Old Trafford last week. The FA acted after a complaint from Greater Manchester Police but Ferguson believes there is no case to answer, arguing rather feebly that there was "no evidence from the television pictures".

He added: "Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher ran the full length of the pitch in the Everton-Liverpool game with their fists raised at the Everton fans, yet not a word is said. When we played Manchester City Robbie Fowler scored and ran towards our fans showing his five fingers [to represent Liverpool's European Cup wins]. Our fans surged to the front and the stewards had trouble with them. Yet again not a word is said. There's absolutely no chance a charge would have been brought if it were anyone but a United player."